V/A – Metal=Life / 2005 Hopeless / 33 Tracks / http://www.hopelessrecords.com / http://www.subcity.net / Reviewed 18 December 2005

As I Lay Dying starts off this huge compilation, which encompasses 33 bands and 18 videos; this compilation is cheaply priced and intended to help out fund the arts. Tracks like Between The Buried and Me’s “Alaska” start off interest6ing, almost recalling the theatrical rock/metal of Queen before degenerating into something that resembles practically all of sludge/metal. Horse The Band comes out strongly, solidifying the hype that has been surrounding them for the last few years. An emotional brand of metal is infused with bleeps and boops in “Birdo” to come out with something that is complex and intense, all while still being approachable.

Yesterdays Rising is the first “up and coming” band to be featured on this compilation; a melodramatic approach to their emo/hardcore fusion shows why exactly they should be placed in the middle of so many of these bands. Day of Contempt again continue the trend of second-level (in terms of popularity) bands that really step up their game and show that they are the wave of the future; a track like “The Ghost of Tragedy” is perfectly balanced between pop and metal, emo and intensity. Stretch Armstrong show that even older bands can get into the act with their “The Sounds of Names Dropping”; metal guitars mesh perfectly with emo vocals a la Yellowcard. Where the first disc tends to trail off slightly in quality towards the end, the different sound of Crisis gives the disc one last hurrah.

Versus The Mirror’s “Boy Gets What He Wants”, the second track on the second disc again comes through as a track that through its nuanced arrangements becomes a tour de force that will knock all on their asses. The Absence completely change the tone of the disc with their more progressive meets metal song “Necropolis”; with this sincerity the band knocks out any scene acts like Avenged Sevenfold. There are some break out hits on this disc, but the biggest reason why individuals will want to purchase this compilation is because it is just so cheap. At well under ten dollars, even if there are tracks that do not meet the high standards of a Between the Buried and Me or Day of Contempt, they can be ignored or skipped over. Couple that with the videos, some of which do not get airplay on Headbanger’s Ball and one has a package that will keep people interested for months and months.

Top Tracks: Between the Buried and Me’s “Alaska”, Day of Contempt’s “The Ghost of Tragedy”

Rating: 6.3/10